1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to a surgical apparatus for laparoscopic and endoscopic procedures. In particular, the disclosure relates to a surgical apparatus having a locking mechanism for maintaining a remotely-actuated component of the instrument at a particular position or orientation.
2. Background of Related Art
Typically in a laparoscopic, endoscopic, or other minimally invasive surgical procedure, a small incision or puncture is made in a patient's body. A cannula is then inserted into a body cavity through the incision, which provides a passageway for inserting various surgical devices such as scissors, dissectors, retractors, or similar instruments. To facilitate operability through the cannula, instruments adapted for laparoscopic or endoscopic surgery typically include a relatively narrow, elongated shaft extending distally from a housing, and supporting an end effector at its distal end. Arranging the shaft of such an instrument through the cannula allows a surgeon to manipulate actuators on the housing from outside the body to induce the end effector to carry out a surgical procedure at a remote internal surgical site. This type of minimally invasive procedure has proven beneficial over traditional open surgery due to reduced trauma, improved healing and other attendant advantages.
Some laparoscopic or endoscopic instruments are steerable, and thus may provide a surgeon with a range of operability suitable for a particular surgical purpose. For example, an instrument may be configured such that the end effector may be aligned with a longitudinal axis of the instrument to facilitate insertion of the elongated shaft through the cannula. Thereafter, the end effector may be induced to articulate, or move off-axis as necessary to appropriately orient the end effector for engaging the targeted tissue. Some mechanisms for articulating the distal end of an endoscopic instrument include a pair of tendons, or tension-bearing drive cables, with distal ends anchored to the articulating portion of the instrument on opposite sides of the longitudinal axis. The proximal ends of the drive cables are operatively coupled to an actuator on the housing that is responsive to manipulation by the surgeon to draw one of the drive cables proximally while simultaneously permitting distal motion in the other drive cable. This motion in the drive cables induces pivotal motion of the articulating portion of the instrument.
When the end effector of a steerable, articulating instrument has been satisfactorily positioned and oriented, a surgeon may maintain the position and orientation of the end effector by continuously exerting the necessary forces on the actuators at the housing. Alternatively, some instruments are provided with a locking mechanism that permits the surgeon to temporarily lock the position and orientation of the end effector so that a continuous exertion of force at the housing is not required. Often these locking mechanisms operate by engaging the drive cables within the housing to arrest their motion. However, regardless of the construction materials, the drive cables exhibit a spring rate that is amplified over the length of the drive cables, and thus, the drive cables may tend to stretch when external loads are applied to the elongated shaft. This tendency to stretch may be associated with an unintended change in orientation of the end effector, e.g., without a corresponding manipulation of the actuators initiated by the surgeon.